Foster an Elephant or Rhino

THE DAVID SHELDRICK WILDLIFE TRUST

FOSTERING PROGRAM

"Please help us help an orphaned elephant
by fostering one of the orphans
directly through our website
as a gift of life"
Daphne Sheldrick

| see the list of orphans available for fostering | what you receive as a foster parent |

A tiny newborn elephant is orphaned, often its mother and family gunned down to serve the Ivory trade, its life support gone; any survivors fleeing in terror; its fate now suffering and death in hopeless and lonely isolation it cannot understand. For an elephant, the family is all important; its very existence dependent upon its mother's milk for the first two years of life and a life that should span three score years and ten, equivalent to that of man. In a perfect world that elephant life would be filled with fun and joy through the companionship of friends and a closeknit and loving family, whose love is pure and unconditional all the days of its life.

In one country in Africa, Kenya, an Elephant Nursery situated in Nairobi under the auspices of The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, overseen by Dr. Daphne Sheldrick, whose elephant experience spans a lifetime, and with the cooperation of the Kenya Wildlife Service, for the first time ever now offers hope for any orphaned elephant fortunate enough to be found alive. It took Daphne Sheldrick 28 years of trial and error during the years that her husband was Warden of Kenya's largest and most important elephant Sanctuary, Tsavo East National Park, to perfect the milk formula and complex husbandry necessary to rear the orphaned infant African elephants. Today, with financial help of many caring folk world-wide, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is proud to have saved what amounts to a herd; over 60 orphaned infant calves that would otherwise have perished. More importantly, every one of these orphans can look forward to a quality of life in wild terms, living free in Tsavo East National Park encompassed by their new extended orphaned family and friends amongst the wild herds in a National Park that offers elephants the S P A C E they need - the 8,000 square miles of pristine wilderness that is TSAVO.

None of this would have been possible without help of many people worldwide, for the rearing an infant elephant is an expensive and long-term commitment during the time it is dependent upon milk and a team of trained carers who represent the lost elephant family and are there for the little elephant until such time as it is comfortable amongst the wild herds and chooses to become independent. The time involved depends entirely upon the personality of each individual and also upon how well the elephant can recall its elephant family, but all the orphans reared by The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust are "elephants" again and integrated into the wild community by the age of ten, though always in their large elephant hearts will be a corner for the specific humans who were their family in infancy.

WHAT YOU RECEIVE AS A FOSTER PARENT VIA YOUR EMAIL

We have made our fostering program digital, thereby keeping admin costs down. Postage around the world is a cumbersome administrative expense that we are now able to avoid through the Internet. The minimum fostering fee is US$50 per orphan per year, but there is the ability to foster your orphaned elephant for any amount over the minimum US$ 50. Any queries about the fostering program can be directed to rc-h@africaonline.co.ke

Initially as a foster parent you will receive a fostering certificate with a profile and photograph of your orphan, together with a description of the Orphans’ Project.

You will also receive an interactive map indicating where your orphan was found, along with a description of the habitat and the plight of elephants (or Rhino) in that particular area.

Monthly you will receive a short summary highlighting events of the previous month, along with a direct link to the ‘Keepers Diary’ specific to your orphan. Also in the Keepers Diary you have the ability of accessing the daily calendar entries and viewing the monthly photographs. The updates can be printed off to enable you to keep a journal that will highlight the progress of your orphan.

Along with the update, monthly you will receive a watercolor painting by Angela Sheldrick.

From time to time you will receive news of new arrivals and rescues written by Dr. Daphne Sheldrick along with attached photographs.

And most importantly, as one of our foster parents you are considered part of ‘The DSWT Team’ and we will be keeping personal contact with you, ensuring you a close and intimate relationship with our project.